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Abstract

Some plants use a lot of water, and some are very drought-tolerant. Drought-tolerant grasses are good for water conservation because they require less water to grow and stay green. How much less water do they need? Which types of grass are drought-tolerant? You can buy different types or brands of grass seed at your nursery that claim to be drought-tolerant. Grow them in a container and then starve for water after they are established. Which brands die out first? You can conduct a similar experiment using sod, or lawns that are already established with different species of grass. Just make sure to get permission from the owner first! Then you can mark off your study area with stakes and starve the area for water. Which types of lawns are the most drought-tolerant? What about other landscape plants? Are native plants more drought-tolerant than exotic plants? You can actually calculate the amount of water that each type of plant needs, then compare the water needs of different plants. How much water can drought-tolerant plants save annually? Can you extrapolate this to estimate the amount of water that can be saved by an entire community? A city or regional park? Can you propose some good plants for landscapers to use that will save water? (National Arbor Day Foundation, 2006; WMC, 2006; NPS, 2006)

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